WSU football notebook: And then there were 5

Barry Bolton

09/23/2016

MIKE LEACH MIGHT keep Marcus Strong’s redshirt intact after all. The true freshman Cougar cornerback climbed into the two-deeps on the official depth chart before the Idaho game. But Strong's name was nowhere to be found on the participation list in the official stat book following the bench-clearing win over the Vandals. Still, this past Saturday, the number of Washington State true freshmen who have played this season climbed to five.

According to the official stats from Washington State, OL Frederick Mauigoa (pictured above) got his first college reps in the blowout win over Idaho.

That makes five true freshmen Cougars who have seen their first collegiate action through the first three games of the 2016 season: Mauigoa, WR Isiah Johnson, LB Derek Moore, WR Dezmon Patmon and safety Jalen Thompson.

LEACH IS A huge history buff. But he’s made clear he’s not very interested in Gabe Marks’ pursuit of the record for most catches in Pac-12 history – Leach wants Marks and every other player focused on the task at hand and that means helping WSU win every game left on the schedule.

But it’s history.

And Marks is well on his way to becoming the No. 1 grabmaster in the 101-year history of the conference.

Marks has a team-leading 27 catches in three games, upping his career total to 254. The Cougars' Z receiver is now just 41 catches from going where no one has gone before, and breaking the career mark of Nelson Spruce (Colorado, 294).

The attention on the all-time record will only grow with each passing week but if it’s any consolation to Leach, Marks has the type of personality that while certainly aware of the mark, it’s probably not very high on his motivation list.

If we’ve learned anything about Marks over the past five years, it's that what does sit high atop his priority list is the same thing as his head coach: Wins.